[Closed] Spec Epic Comp Rear Shock with Brain thingy

I have a 2003 epic that has been very reliable, only needed one seal change from new (done during its only service). not had to change bearings so far. on the plus side it works very well (I have the fox float brain shock rather than the specialized one), on climbs the rear feels like a hardtail until you hit a series of bumps and it just feels like you have swapped to a FS bike. I have given it a fair amount of abuse and It has lasted better than I deserve :-).

downsides, clearance is a bit of an issue, cant run tyres wider than 2.3, its a bit of a mud magnet having the suspension low down. servicing can be a bit of an issue - not everyone services brain shocks. I had to take mine to Evans in Kendal as I don't think Mojo etc would take them (I could be wrong, might be worth checking). Couldn't service the rear shock myself without buying a crowfoot attachment and torque wrench.

Set up was easy, just followed the chart for rider weight and used shock pump. On the 2003 model sag is hard to set as the shock wont compress just by sitting on the saddle.

(disclaimer: my knowledge of FS bikes is limited to a 10 year old epic so cant say if its better or worse than others!)

Got the Brain shock on my Stumpjumper & find it works really well. Tend to have it set a few clicks from firm & leave it there. I think Mojo service them.
The Epic Brain is tuned firmer than the Stumpjumper as you'd expect, so it does feel very firm when in the locked position.

The latest Spesh design does tie you in a bit, due to the yoke that connects the shock to the rear triangle. I can see how it could be an issue for some, but I don't ever envisage changing the shock so it's not an issue.

The Epic shock is teeny as well, so direct replacements might be hard to find, even if you did find a way around the yoke issue.

I have a 2010 epic and the brain sort of stopped working. As I hadn't spent £150 per year on a service, the warranty was invalid so I had to pay £150 to get it serviced.

Has been working like a dream ever since so apart from the high service costs, I don't see any reasom why you'd want to change it for anything else. If you don't like the feel of the brain, just run it fully open.

Great bikes - I have 120mm Reba's on mine and it handles most things I throw at it with aplomb.

Send them to Mojo for service, that's where everyone will be sending them.
We can arrange this for you if you're having a fork serviced at the same time by us.
The only reason we don't do them is that there aren't that many about so didn't make sence to get the seal kits manufactured, might look into it next year though. 😀

My experience with Brain shocks was not so positive. I had a 2009 s-works stumpy fsr and in the year I had it the brain shock was rebuilt 4 times. When it worked it was good but was basically permenantly broken so II sold it and will consequently never touch a specialzed frame again. It even came with those stupid specialized future shock forks which never bloody worked either.

All in all pretty pants, may be better now but wouldn't risk it if it were my cash, and so many other great bikes out there!!

Thanks guys. Real quick response and good info. It looks like they are good when working, expensive to service and nothing else will replace them.
I really like the feel of a Specialized bike though. If I spend a lot more dish I could get something like a last year model Camber. Are these any better or have they still got unusual shocks, I know they are in line but does that mean Specialized have dropped the brain idea or just put it in a different way?
Bob.

The current Epic design has been around for 3 or 4 years now and the rear shock on them bears no resemblance to older models where the shock ran up along by the seatstay , they were very unreliable , the current shock , built by Fox is just as reliable as any other rear shock on the market , servicing costs and intervals are pretty much the same on most popular rear shocks .

I had a 2008 epic and it acquired the moniker "problem bike". The shock was a nightmare, so much so that I won't be buying a spesh bike again. The warranty was superb but it needed to be as it went through 5 units in 4 years. Eventually gave up and got something else... However I can't comment on the more modern versions.

My OH's brother has a 2009 comp, it has the newer shock, I think that this might be the first model to have the shock placed differently. His shock started to leak after some time, rebound stopped working. He is pretty fast but is riding xc, so what the frame was designed for. Shock was out of warranty so there were two options, either a new shock for about 150-170 or 100 and leave his old shock at the shop.

The new shock looks a bit different, the small hose that goes from the brain to the main body looks like the connector thingy was redesigned (that is where the leak developed). It works fine now, no problems and I did have a ride on it and preffered the ride of my older Top Fuel.

As a replacement you would have to check if there is a shock with the same i2i lenght. I was looking for a replacement shock for a Stumpy fsr and apart from the Specalized Triad thingy guy in a shop said they can do a rp23 for that lenght and I think CaneCreek air shock can be ordered in custom lenght as well.

All in the 2009 Epic is very efficient and builds light. His is mainly X.0 with Reba and XTR wheels and weights about 10.9kg.

My recently stolen '08 Epic comp had the old style Brain which I think was actually manufactured by X-fusion. Worked brilliantly but it has also been back to Spesh almost annually for warranty work. My understanding is that the fox built units of the newer Epics are a better quality. The only reason I'm not buying a new epic is the price… they've gone up exponentially over the past few years.

I had a 2007 Epic, which was the first year they did the Spesh AFR shocks, it was superb, worked flawlessly, as they virtually all did.

I had a 2008 one, the first year when every model had AFR shocks, and they outsourced production. Reliability was dreadful, went through many many shocks, at one point we just had a box of replacements in the shop to fit as required.

I had a 2009 one, the first year they went to the remote brain, with the small air can and the Fox made shock. It was marginally better. Still blew a couple of times, but by the end of the year they'd sorted it, and they've been very reliable since!

I'd have no qualms having another, like my Top Fuel though!

I have a 2003 and never had a service or bearing replaced. It's used weekly and I'm not a gentle little thing. It's working as well as the day I got it. A brill bit of kit. Going to sell soon as I've got the chance of a good deal on a 29re with the carbon frame. Will be sad to see it go!

I had a 2007 Epic Expert, with the Fox shock and Brain (and sold to a nice man on here). It was ace. It failed a couple of times, but only because I hadn't serviced it. Once I got on top of that, it was fine. Expensive to service and, if I'm honest, put me off buying another one (got a 29er HT instead, which is just as good).

Thanks for all the info guys.
I finally made the decision and have bought ....... a Whyteb805 !!!!!
I know it's not full sus.
I know it's not a Specialized.
But I love my old PRST 1 so much and this is a brand new bike but last years model for a lot less money.
I only wanted one of these Spesh FSR things cos they seemed lightweight. I doubt I was ever gonna rideat it's max performance, so this is now my new bike.
You don't see many reviews on them so I hope that's not a bad sign.
Thanks again, and I will soon be back looking for upgrade advice and aye even ideas for where to ride if I am in your area!!!!
Bob.[b]